Research Essay

Marching Band vs. Sport: Is there really any Difference?

A Research Essay

Scot Bishop

Northern Illinois University

Author Note

This essay was prepared for English 105, taught by Dustin Marquis.

Marching Band vs. Sport: Is there really any Difference?

A Research Essay

Objective

In the context of high school athletics, there is always one organization that always gets the short end of the stick. Different districts and communities may have different sports that claim the top spot for the funding and attention of athletics programs, weather that be soccer, football, track, etc. However, there is one organization that has received little to no recognition at all in terms of being a part of the athletic programs of public schools. This is marching band. Marching band shares many similarities with different sports organizations that are present in the present day public school system. In fact, marching band is a sport, and therefore should be considered part of public school athletics programs, and gain the social and financial benefits associated with being a part of that organization.

There a few similarities between sports and marching band that one can think of almost immediately. Both groups have a significant number of members, each wear matching jerseys or uniforms, they both have catchy and sometimes intimidating names, the list could go on and on. However, this essay goes deeper than just the surface level of analysis. When analyzing and determining how marching band is a sport, different points of consideration must be observed. These are similarities based upon the physical, mental, social, and financial characteristics of a marching band and a sports team. Each is equally important, and each makes a clear statement that both proves that marching band is a sport, and that is supportive of marching band being a part of public school athletics programs.

Definitions

 For the sake of constancy throughout this essay, the following definitions will be associated with the two key items that this essay analyzes. Marching band can be defined as “A band that marches (as in a parade) and plays music at the same time” (The Free Dictionary Online, n.d.). (This is the only source where a distinct definition can be found that is accepted by the general populous, thus making this recourse a vital piece of information for this essay.) Sport will be defined as “Physical contests pursued for the goals and challenges they entail” (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, n.d.). These definitions will provide the basis on which all comparisons will be made.

Physical

Marching band and other sports contain the same fundamental principle. You must be fit to do well in them. Marching band requires the individual musician to be fit both cardiovascularly and muscularly. One study conducted by Brad Strand and Christa Sommer (2005) concludes that marching band members do not meet the surgeon general’s recommended time in the target heart rate zone, therefore marching band is not a fitness activity like many other sports are. When analyzed, this argument may be true, but it fails to take into account the cardiovascular fitness level needed to pull off a half time show. Most of these band members that were studied were not in their target heart rate because they have been well trained to march with less effort. However, if they analyzed marching band rehearsal, complete with fundamental drills, and lower body and core workout, they would find different results that would flip their conclusion upside down. It is known, much to the performer that “marching and playing simultaneously is a highly aerobic activity” (Wozniac 2008). Just as the athlete must exert himself on the field, in the same way the marching musician exerts himself. Both organizations are pointing toward a goal of top performance standards, and this can only be accomplished through extreme physical conditions. As the football player is in the down position at the line of scrimmage, so is the marching musician at his first chart waiting for the drum major to commence the show.  With hearts pounding and muscles tense, the players are ready to begin the challenge of perfecting their arts. The similarity also stands at the middle to end of both groups’ performances. The marching trumpet player is struggling to pull high notes out of his trumpet as his lips are gasping for just a split second of rest, the percussionists hands are aching, the same with the soccer player whose leg muscles are screaming for replenishment because they are so sore from working toward the goal of a perfect performance. This kind of physical exertion is what makes a marching band athletic. This is an overwhelmingly appropriate reason for it to be part of public school athletics.

Going deeper into the physical aspects of marching band, a similarity between marching band and sports is also present in the realm of injuries. When marching, it is very easy to injure one’s self. Also, in the setting of just playing an instrument itself, there are even injuries related to gravity pulling down on the limbs of the body as they musician is holding their instrument (Herman, 1993). Almost any injury in the sports world, from torn ligaments to sprained ankles, it can all happen out on the field. In the article “Injuries and Injury Risk Factors among Members of the United States Army Band,” (Knapik et al., 2007) the author describes the injuries and medical conditions associated with both playing a specific instrument when marching on the field. This study and analysis proves helpful when determining the qualifications of marching band to receive the benefits of being in included in athletics programs. By using their bodies to perform, much like athletes, marching performers are putting themselves at physical risk. The same is true in terms of dehydration. Marching band students spend most of their time practicing outdoors and little time taking a break to drink water or hydrate themselves during rehearsals leading to injuries (Vepraskas, 2002). With the sun beating down upon both athletes and marching musicians during multiple hours of practice, staying properly hydrated is a very serious issue in both spheres. Marching bands need the support of trainers that other sports teams have. If there is a medical issue out on the field during a performance, there needs to be someone there to assist any injured musician, just as would be the case in a sports setting. Since there are many of the same injuries and other medical issues between sports and marching band because they are both competition oriented programs ( Robinson, 2004), they should be given the same medical support as any other organization that is part of a public school athletics program.

Mental

In addition to the physical similarities, when observed and understood, the mental setting and mechanics of a marching band member are the same as an athlete when they are either at practice or out on the field performing. Andrew J. Martin (2008) proves that both the musical and athletic spheres have the same amount of engagement for the individual athlete or musician. This conclusion is most accurately reflected in the examples of the performance setting of each sphere. Both systems of music and sport are designed to reach a goal of perfection. When an athlete is training, they are constantly pushing themselves to the next level. They repeat, improve, and perfect their skills so that they can put on a performance that is as near to perfection as possible come game day. Much in the same way, all musicians in a marching band are putting themselves through the fire of strict drilling, enormous amounts of mental focus and building mental stamina in order to produce a performance worthy of first place. In sports, this focus can sometimes be broken, and you must adapt to your surroundings. For example, if a basketball player is going in for a lay-up, and the defense attempts to steal the ball away, the player must then switch his mental process in order to accommodate for the obstacle. In the context of a marching band performance setting, there is no room for this kind of obstacle to even be accepted. In a marching band competition, there are judges that run around on the field to individually judge performers. If one gets in the way, the musician must at all costs keep focus on the performance and the amount of perfection required to make an acceptable show. If that includes running the judge over, so be it. The marching musician must put every effort forward to keep their mental focus at maximum intensity, and specificity. There is no room to work with obstacles. Given the similarity of mental performance between both athletes and marching musicians, it is yet another reason that marching band is a sport should be included in the athletic programs of public schools.

Social

            When the individual mindset of the performer, weather it is on the marching field or the baseball diamond, is put together with other mindsets of the same orientation, the product is the social mechanics of both sports teams and marching bands alike. The social characteristics of both sports teams and marching bands are the glue that hold the bodies together, and make them one cohesive unit. First, the social structure of each must be examined. In a marching band, there are a few key roles that must be filled in order for both the chain of command, and the operation mechanics to be established. One of these key roles is the drum major. The drum major can be compared to the quarterback of a football team. The drum major directs the band in tempo (speed), dynamics (intensity) and articulation (expression). These three aspects of a marching show determine the overall quality of the performance. The drum major is above everyone else but, at the same time, is still an equally essential part of the band as any other performer. The quarterback shows these same qualities out on the field by providing a sense of guidance for each play, directing the course of the offensive game. The overall quality of the performance is affected by how well the quarterback leads. This is the same in the case of the drum major. These kinds of leadership roles are present in all kinds of sports and in marching bands. Again, this is only one example of a way in which each group is socially similar. Being a part of the athletics program already, sports teams have a leg up by being not only in a social context that includes just leadership roles from other teams that are alike, but roles that extend far into the reaches of a variety of sports activities. What is lacking in that area is an exposure to these leadership roles in a musical performing context. Marching band should be allowed access to the athletics program benefits of broadening the scope of leadership roles not just for the sake of the band, but also for athletes.

            Traveling a bit farther into the context of the social similarities between marching band and sports, it is important to look past leadership roles themselves and observe how both organizations work together, in their own contexts, to function as one cohesive unit. The article “An Exploration of Flow Among Collegiate Marching Band Participants” by Carolyn L. Steckel analyzes this concept in the context of the marching band by using the term “flow,” which she defines as “the state in which the skill of the individual is congruent to the challenge being presented and the individual is so involved in the activity that nothing else seems to matter” (2006). This idea of flow helps to clearly see how the individual social unification of a group of performers or athletes is similar, if not exactly alike. This kind of universal internal “syncing” of the unit of performers is the way that it works together to achieve its goals. All members of a sports team and marching band demonstrated this kind of “flow” according to Steckel’s observations (2006). Everyone on the team has to be on the same page the entire time. If one person makes a mistake, the whole unit suffers. For both spheres, it is known that each body has many members, each serving different functions, but ultimately coming together to form one ultimate entity. In a sports context, there are many different players playing different positions. There are the offensive players, defensive players, pitchers, forwards, the list can go on forever. In the same way, a marching band has many different parts. Percussionists, low brass, brass, woodwinds, and auxiliary are only the broad terms for each section of musician. With such variety, there is much need for a source of cohesion. This is where “flow (Steckel, 2006)” comes in. It is what holds both the band and sports team together as they go about performing their tasks. Interestingly, it was found that a marching band actually exhibits a more heavily involved sense of “flow” due to music being involved. In Steckel’s article (2006), she describes how music activates a part of the brain that cannot be activated by anything else. This brings a whole other dimension into the inter-social cohesion of a marching band. Marching musicians are not only unified by the physical activity itself, much like a sports team, but the music that goes along with it. This undoubtedly exemplifies the qualification of the marching band to not only be a part of athletics programs, but also to be deemed a sport.

            If that already is not enough, there is one more level of social characteristics to be examined. This social characteristic exists outside of the individual team or marching band itself, and has to do with others such as supporters or community members. In the article “The Influence of Personal Values and Goals on Cognitive and Behavioral Involvement in Sport” (Lee et al., 2011), the authors measure the amount of involvement that consumers and community members have in sports when it is available to them. Weather it be at a community level, like the high school baseball team, or the professional level, like the Chicago Bears, these organizations allow for a social structure to be established in the community that is based upon these sports teams. The same can be true of marching bands if they are given the same opportunity. Sports teams and marching bands do not only attract fans just by the games that they play in or the competitions in which they participate. By being involved in the community, having internet presence, having merchandise availability, and being televised, both organizations create a massive movement of social interest (Lee et al., 2011). This social interest, when at the public school level of activity, causes the social interest of the community to shift, and the level of involvement in school athletics activity to rise (Lee et al., 2011). It is common that whenever the marching band comes on the field during halftime at a football event, that most fans leave to go do their own thing rather than enjoy the entertainment offered. According to the conclusion reached in this particular article by Lee et al. (2011), this is because of a lack of the involvement of the community and their interest in the goals and values of the marching band. There is a truly amazing opportunity for an explosion of involvement offered through admission into the public schools’ athletics programs. This creates publicity for marching bands by offering the opportunity for them to be recognized by the community as part of something bigger than just the marching band itself. Because marching band is a sport, and needs to be treated as such, it has a need for community involvement, and it is all available through public school athletics programs.

Financial

            The final aspect of why marching band should be considered a sport and part of public school athletics programs is based upon a need for finances. According to the “Illinois State Board of Education Fiscal Year 2012 Proposed Budget” (Chico et al., 2012), the fine arts sections of school budgets are dwindling fast. Since marching band comes under the umbrella of that category, they are also suffering. Also, Sean C. Hunter writes that “relevant peer-reviewed literature on the state of funding for athletic band programs across the country is lacking” (2011). Marching bands have as much expenses, if not more, as do sports teams. Equipment and instruments are not cheap. According to Wozniac (2002), it costs approximately $272 out of pocket per student to just purchase the equipment necessary to participate in a marching band. This does not include the hundreds of dollars it costs for a performance quality instrument. Thankfully for sports teams, the athletic departments of public schools have all of their equipment budgeted out and on rotation so the costs out of pocket for each athlete are very minimal.  In some, not all, instances, marching bands do have a booster club that does help to alleviate the burden of the cost of equipment, but in the grand scheme of things, they do little damage when it comes to paying out of pocket for marching band. Marching band becoming a part of the school athletics program could potentially wipe out the need for the individual musician to pay out of pocket for participating. This is an attractive reason, for many lower income families, why marching band should be part of athletics programs, and receive the benefit of funding.

            Now that finances that the individual participant must obtain to participate in the activity has be covered, now the opposite must be considered. What can these sports do financially for the participant? Many, if not all of public school sports have future college scholarships associated with them. One final idea to consider, and thus taking this theory to another level, is the question that if marching band was considered a sport at the high school level, does that mean that the same will be true for the college level? For the sake of analysis, the answer will be assumed to be yes. This new avenue for high school students will open up new scholarship opportunities for them down the road when they enter college. Now, instead of scouts coming out to watch the baseball or volleyball team, they will come to scout out the marching band, and see who they would like to add to their organization to make it the best it can be. Scholarships provide a motivation for the athlete, especially at the high school level, to perform their best and therefore set themselves up for success in college (Medic, 2007). Sports scholarships can make a huge dent in tuition payments, sometimes even fifty percent or more (O’Shaughnessy, 2010). Through the prospect that marching band is considered a sport, is part of the public school athletics program, and receives benefits as such, doors will open wide for marching musicians to set themselves up for collegiate success through marching band not only at their present high school level, but their future college level marching experience.

Final Thoughts

            After adequate analysis of all four of these areas of observation, one can conclude that marching band and sports have very many similarities. However, they are obviously not completely the same. Each has their own distinct characteristics that can not be compared such as the individual abilities required to play each sport, or specific musical talent required to play each instrument. Those items are unrelated to this particular topic itself. That being said, through the conclusions drawn that marching band is similar to sports in key ways, marching band should be considered a sport by the public school system and also be allowed to enter their athletics programs as equal holders of the social and financial privileges associated with that standing. Then, marching band will be able to more actively benefit everyone by enriching both the communities and individual schools which they are a part of in ways they never could before. Sports have been able to benefit from being part of athletics programs for years, and have been able to turn those benefits right around to be put right back into the community. These exist in things like school pride, a sense of a close community, and an overall better life for the members of society. Now, it is time for marching bands across the country to have that same opportunity to bless the members of their communities in the same way that sports have.

References

Chico, G. J., & Kock, C. A., (2012, February) Illinois State Board of Education Fiscal Year 2012 Proposed Budget.    Retrieved from http://www.isbe.net/budget/default.htm

Harman, S. E. (1993, December). Medical Problems of Marching Musicians. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 132-135. Retrieved from http://www.sciandmed.com/mppa/journalviewer.aspx?issue=1122&article=1256&action=1

Hunter, S. C. (2011). A Comparative Study of Funding and Budgeting Profiles of Collegiate Athletic Bands, with an Emphasis on Alumni Relations (Master’s thesis, Oregon State University). Retrieved from http://scholarsarchive.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/25157/Final_Copy%20Hunter.pdf?sequence=1

Knapik, J. J., Jones, S. B., Darakjy, S., Hauret, K. G., Nevin, R., Grier, T., & Jones, B. H. (2007, November 2). Injuries and Injury Risk Factors among Members of the United States Army Band. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 50(12), 951-961. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.20532/pdf

Lee, D., & Trail, G. (2011). The Influence of Personal Values and Goals on Cognitive and Behavioral Involvement in Sport. Journal Of Sport Management, 25(6), 593-605

Marching Band. (n.d.). In The Free Dictionary online. Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/marching+band

Martin, A. J. (2008). Motivation and Engagement in Music and Sport: Testing a Multidimensional Framework in Diverse Performance Settings. Journal Of Personality, 76(1), 135-170. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00482.x

Medic, N. (2007). The Effects of Athletic Scholarships on Motivation in Sport. Journal of Sport Behavior, 292-306.

O’Shaughnessy, L., (2010, June 22). 7 Things You Need to Know About Sports Scholarships. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-solution/2010/06/22/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-sports-scholarships

Sports, (n.d.). In Encyclopedia Britannica online. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/561041/sports

Steckel, C. L. (2006, May). An Exploration of Flow Among Collegiate Marching Band Participants. Retrieved from okstate.edu: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/etd/umi-okstate-1776.pdf

Strand, B., & Sommer, C. (2005). Should Marching Band be Allowed to Replace Physical Education Credits: An Analysis. Physical Educator, 62(3), 164-168.

Robson, B. E. (2004, December). Competition in Sport, Music, and Dance. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 160-166. Retrieved from http://www.sciandmed.com/mppa/journalviewer.aspx?issue=1159&article=1562&action=1

Vepraskas, C. (2002). Beat the Heat: Managing Heat and Hydration in Marching Band. The Journal of School Nursing, 237-243.

Wozniak, M. (2008). Feasibility Study on Implementing Small Amount Scholarships, Additional Course Credits, a Gym Credit, and a Free Gym Membership For Blue Band Members. Blue Band Rewards Not Given. Retrieved from http://test.scripts.psu.edu/users/m/v/mvw5033/classes/engl202c/assignment4_recommendation_report.pdf